helpers

>for some reason the bales were often covered in white
>plastic, which made them look like huge marshmallows.
>(Maybe the plastic thing is common in the North, but I
>never saw it growing up in Southern farm country.)
From the Lectern:
Round bales are a relatively recent innovation. Square
bales require undercover storage, have higher mold and fire
potential, and take more manual labor. Round bales weigh
about 500 pounds, live in the field, and can shed rain even
without the plastic wrap. The wrap also reduces air in the
bag: the cellulose in the silage is anaerobically digested to
pump up nutrient value.
For the Grateful Dead concert in Highgate (did I mention
we have the occasional small summer concert here in Town?)
a farmer in nearby Franklin piled a bunch of bales by the
roadside. Road art. He painted
"Welcome Deadheads"
letter-by-letter across the faces.
And, yes, we do call them marshmallows.
(the bales, not the Deadheads)